Old At Heart
by enchantment1972
Summary: While living on Earth with his granddaughter, Susan, the First Doctor runs into an elderly Rose Tyler and proves that regardless of their age or incarnation, the Doctor and Rose Tyler are meant to be. **Part of the I Think You Need a Doctor series**
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Many thanks to Unseen Watcher because without that volleyball of emails, I never would have thought of this pairing that I now love so much. :)

And this is dedicated to my husband who recently was told by his oncologist that he is most definitely and officially still in REMISSION as he has passed his five year survival mark and after five more years, he will be pronounced cured! :D Okay, and now back I go to holding my breath. ;P

I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy Valentines Day! :)

Another long and exhausting day at Henrik's department store has Rose Tyler removing her reading glasses and rubbing wearily at her eyes. She has worked at Henrik's for the past fifty years having started out as a shop girl when she left school and then slowly working her way up to bookkeeper once she obtained her A-levels.

_Time to call it a day_, she sighs inwardly, greatly relieved to be finished with updating the books after the huge sale that they had the day prior. She can't remember the last time she worked with so many figures. Rose chuckles softly to herself as she recalls that it was most likely back when she was a shop girl assisting the ladies with their garments whenever necessary.

She quickly straightens her desk and clocks out while saying her farewells to the departing shift and her greetings to the new arrivals. Her steady pace carries her

halfway out the front of the store while she searches her purse for her bus pass when something, or rather someone, catches her eye.

She stops mid-stride and turns to stare at the older gentleman who is standing in the women's department and sending offending glares at any of the shop girls who start to make their way over to assist him. _He must be buying a gift for someone_, muses Rose as she watches him go through the store's various selections with indecision.

He picks up each blouse, sweater and scarf to scrutinize them to the minutest detail, glance at them with firm disdain and then hurriedly discard them by tossing them aside and leaving a trail of chaos and fretful shop girls in his wake.

Rose offers the girls a sympathetic gaze as she knows how strict this section's manager is and how difficult male shoppers can be when they're looking for an ideal present, especially the older ones. _Well, time to put a stop to that._

She walks over to him with a confident stride and politely inquires, "May I help you, Sir?"

Without even looking up from his latest choice of apparel, the Doctor gruffly replies, "What? No, no, I'm fine, just like I told all of your other cohorts…I mean colleagues earlier. Now please don't bother me again…"

His voice trails off when he finally takes a moment to glance at the most recent interloper and finds himself gazing at the smiling face of an older woman with the warmest brown eyes that he has ever seen.

He throws another sweater off to the side as he hastens to apologize to her. "Oh, I am sorry, my dear lady, please forgive me for my ill manners. It's simply that the young women who work here have been pestering me all afternoon and they insist on trying to force me into the men's section in a devious attempt to ply me with cardigans and fuzzy wool caps."

"That's quite, alright, Sir, I understand," accepts Rose graciously. "I know that some of our employees tend to be a trifle overzealous when a customer is searching so determinedly for something and just can't seem to find the right thing." She gestures to the trail of rumpled clothes littering the tables. "I was hoping that I could you offer my services instead, Mr…?"

"What?" he squeaks while pulling himself out of her gaze. _What in Rassilon's name is wrong with me? _"Oh yes, my name, it's Smith, Mr. John Smith, but you may call me the Doctor."

"**The **Doctor?" queries Rose in amusement.

"Yes, my dear. In fact, you might say that I'm the original." He offers a slight bow and kisses her hand in a more formal greeting.

Rose's eyebrows rise at both the man's gesture and his obvious conceit. With her tongue poking out between her teeth, she asks bluntly, "Are you saying that you've been around that long?"

"It feels like it, my dear lady. Yes, it most definitely feels like it sometimes," he admits with a sigh and a chuckle. He looks her over appraisingly from head to toe and with narrowed eyes and a tap of his finger against his lips he murmurs to himself, "Yes, quite right, quite right. Yes, perhaps you can help me after all."

Rose is almost starting to rethink her kind and generous offer of assistance, she's not sure if this old duffer is on the level or if perhaps if he's a very bad wolf on the prowl. _Who kisses hands nowadays? And who does he think he is taking such liberties? He hasn't even bought me chips first!_

"Exactly what is it that you're looking for?" questions Rose, her interest warring with her suspicion.

The Doctor grasps his lapels as he confides, "My granddaughter is going to a school dance and I wanted to buy her something special to wear. She is after all a very special child."

"I see," murmurs Rose while relaxing immensely at his declaration. After all, a man who goes to such great lengths to please his granddaughter can't be all bad. "Well, I would definitely want to find something appropriate for her age and coloring. How would you describe her?"

The Doctor's gaze travels far away as if he was actually seeing her across the room. "She's sixteen years old, dark hair, dark eyes and her features are…well, I guess you would describe them as elfish. Hmmph!" he notes in amusement. "Yes, that would be accurate as she's definitely a little pixie!" He withdraws a folded paper from his inner coat pocket and hands it to Rose. "I took the liberty of jotting down her size from one of the dresses in her closet. Pretty clever of me, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, actually I would," comments Rose honestly. "There aren't that many shoppers that come in here quite so prepared." She flashes him the grin that literally made him speechless when he first saw her and she respectfully offers him her arm. "Shall we?"

He returns her smile wholeheartedly and with a slight twinkle in his eyes, he entwines his arm with hers and declares, "Let the adventure begin!"

Several pleasant hours later, Rose has helped the Doctor find everything that he needs to transform Susan into the belle of the ball. As one of the sales clerks just finishes ringing up the purchases, Rose happens to glance through the front glass doors in dismay. "Oh no, my bus, I completely forgot about it! And the last one for my street is leaving now!"

She turns to him with an apologetic smile and tells him, "I'm sorry but I really must be going. Good luck with your surprise, it was wonderful meeting you."

Caught off guard at the fact that he's about to lose contact with this woman, this magnificent, fantastically brilliant and charming woman, that he has come to care for in so short a time, he swiftly reaches out and grabs her hand. "No, wait, please! I'll come with you!" He hastily turns to the sales clerk and orders, "Never mind about any wrinkles, young lady, simply throw everything into a bag and be quick about it! We need to leave!"

She rapidly complies with his request and hands him the bag of garments and accessories. He turns to Rose with an impish smile but with a voice full of ancient authority as he urges, "Rose, when I say run, I want you to run. Ready?" She nods excitedly. "Run!"

And off they went hand in hand. They missed the bus though but neither of them minded very much for both of them had found someone who was looking for something, or possibly someone, to fill the void that separated them from truly feeling alive. It was something or someone that offered excitement and freedom and…companionship. And if they were lucky, and these two were about to become very, very lucky, then they would discover that they were about to find all of that and more in each other. They might have even realized it when they first took each other's hands.

They stand at the bus stop watching the driver offer a nice friendly wave as he leaves his two almost passengers behind and silently berate the cheek of the man as they try to catch their breath.

"I'm so sorry, Rose; it appears that we have missed your bus." His voice rises to angry pitch as he raises the arm carrying the bag and shakes an angry fist in the air. "And I shall be sure to inform the head of your company at this outrage!"

Rose giggles sweetly at the thought of this man, this slightly odd but amazing and awe-inspiring man, becoming so upset at the bus driver's shabby treatment of her. He really was so considerate and charming in his own daft way.

"I'm sorry," offers Rose when he stares at her with a slightly offended expression. "It's just that it's been a long day and I missed lunch. Low blood sugar always brings out the silliness in me."

"Well, if that's all, my dear, allow me to take you to out to tea. Susan is dining at a friend's house for a study session and I would be privileged to have the honor of your presence tonight." His eyes are expectant as he gazes at her, hoping that he can turn the tide of misfortune into an evening of entertainment.

_Oh yes, _considers Rose silently, _he is definitely a smoothie. _"Alright," asserts Rose, "I'd love to." When she reaches out and wiggles her fingers in invitation, he feels that he has no other choice than to take her hand, especially since his hand had felt so empty without hers. Odd that he'd never noticed that before now.

He escorts her to a nearby diner that Susan frequently visits with her friends and informs him that it is all the 'rage' and that he simply must try the food there sometime. Well, now is as good a time as any.

They find an empty booth and take seats directly across from each other and Rose peruses the menu while the waitress waits patiently on their order and the Doctor searches through his pockets for some Earth currency. _Oh dear, I hope I didn't spend it all at the department store. _Finding yet another empty pocket, he sighs in distress. _At this rate, I can't even pay for a glass of water. Thank goodness that's free._

Noting the Doctor's plight out of the corner of her eye, Rose places her menu down on the table along with her order. "I would like a plate of chips, please, and after my friend orders whatever he'd like, I would appreciate it if you would make sure that the bill comes directly to me."

When the Doctor scoffs in protest, Rose lays her hand over his in a gesture of comfort and understanding. "You may have been expecting to pay for a new frock for your granddaughter's dance but you were definitely not expecting on taking me out to dinner. I'll pay for dinner tonight and you can cover the bill next time, alright? Now, please, go ahead and order whatever you want." Her tongue pokes out between her teeth again in that delightful smile as she teases, "I promise that I'm good for it."

_You're good for a great deal more than that, my Rose._ The Doctor shakes himself out of his musings and hands the menu back to the waitress and tells her, "I would also like a plate of chips, my good woman. I have it on excellent authority that they will make a sumptuous feast, although clearly everything will pale in comparison to my lady friend's astounding generosity and kindness."

"How sweet," remarks the waitress with a saccharine smile. Inwardly, she denotes, _Cheapskate. I bet he never carries any money._ Brightening her smile to one that promotes only the best customer service, she reports, "I'll be right back with your order."

The waitress makes good on her promise and soon returns with their food. "Mmmmm," hums Rose in appreciation when she pops a chip into her mouth. "I've been waiting for these all day. There's just nothing like a good hot, steaming plate of chips."

_There's nothing quite like you either, Rose Tyler. And I have the strangest feeling that I've been waiting a great deal longer for you than just today, _contemplates the Doctor as he watches her enjoy her meal.

"So, I was wondering," inquires Rose, "since you said that your granddaughter is out with friends tonight, would you like to go out and see a movie with me before heading home?" At his eager nod and grin, she beams at him and digs back into her chips.

"What movie will we be watching Rose?" asks the Doctor around a mouthful of chips.

Rose promptly swallows and takes a sip of her water before answering, "The End of the World."

**And so it begins…To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

*******Last Night********

Thankfully, the rest of the Doctor and Rose's evening went as planned without much of a hitch. They had ended up having to run once again to the movie theatre but they made it just in time for the start of The End of the World. Juggling their snacks, they made quite the spectacle as they stepped over quite a few amorous teenagers in an effort to make it to the two remaining empty seats in the middle of the row. Once settled, they leaned in close to each other to whisper tidbits about the movie and its actors which had them giggling as much as the youths surrounding them and by the end of the movie, they were holding hands as they watched the Earth burn.

And although the Doctor was loathe to behold another performance by Lady Cassandra O'Brien, once the movie had finished, Rose's hopeful gaze to stay and watch the newly released sequel 'New Earth' persuaded him more than the most pleading of tones ever could.

So with an accepting nod and a soft smile that was now reserved just for Rose, the Doctor settled back into his seat for the second feature. He did however manage to avoid some of the movie by calculating Pi using three million different forms of mathematical equations. Unfortunately, once that was done he still had eighty-three minutes and fifteen seconds left to go.

He glanced over at Rose and watched the various expressions cross her face and studied every flitting emotion at the sight of each new scene alternately filling her with joy, excitement and awe. She seemed to view everything around her with such wonder and possibility that it made him feel as if he was seeing everything through new eyes, the way he used to observe the universe when he and Susan had first begun their travels. _Hmmm_, he considered thoughtfully as he continued to peer at her discreetly, _perhaps I have something to watch after all._

The next morning, Rose hears a tapping noise at the front door of her flat. Upon opening the door, she is pleasantly surprised to find the Doctor while at the same time slightly taken aback by the fact that he's using a mannequin's arm to knock on the door.

"What are you doing with that?" asks Rose in bewilderment.

"Good morning, Rose Tyler!" greets the Doctor. He taps the plastic arm with two fingers of his free hand. "I came across this onboard my ship and thought that perhaps you might be able to find some use for it in your work establishment."

Rose sports a huge grin as she teases, "You know, Doctor, you could have just called me if you wanted to see me again."

The Doctor clears his throat nervously and confesses to his true reason for calling on her. "Yes…well…I seemed to recall your mentioning that your holiday began today and since I've only resided in London for a few weeks, I was hoping that you would be kind enough to escort me around the area."

"You want me to be your travelling companion?" inquires Rose cheekily. At his expectant and slightly anxious nod, she relents and enthuses, "I'd love to, Doctor. Come on in, I just need a moment to grab my purse."

While Rose heads off into her bedroom, the Doctor scans her flat and finds an umbrella stand that he hastily drops the mannequin's arm into. Smiling smugly to himself as he waits for her return, he jingles the multitude of British coins that he has in his pocket. _At least those ridiculous wishing fountains are good for something._

Their day is spent visiting all of the local sights and several stores that Rose insists are indispensable to assist in the comforts of a gentleman and his young granddaughter. The Doctor scoffs at the latter and deems the tour of the various stores completely unnecessary as it is his opinion that everything that he could possibly ever need or want could be found at Henrik's department store. Rose has never been more flattered or blushed so fiercely in her life.

The hours have passed quickly and finally the couple decides that it is time to partake in both a brief rest and lunch. They come upon a vendor in the park and after purchasing hot dogs, crisps and beverages; they take a seat on a bench alongside a lake and watch a family of ducks swim by as they dine.

"Are you enjoying your meal, Rose?" questions the Doctor. As her mouth is too full to reply, Rose merely nods merrily and hums in contentment. Pleased to see their second date progressing so well, the Doctor returns to his own lunch and surveys their surroundings until his gaze falls upon a group of tourists throwing coins into a nearby wishing fountain.

With a gleam in his eye that is similar to a fox that has just spied his prey, the Doctor turns to Rose bearing a satisfied grin. "That's splendid, my dear, just splendid! Now be sure to let me know if there's anything else that you'd like, there's plenty more where that came from!"

Exhibiting a gentle smile before swallowing, Rose inquires interestedly, "So what made you and Susan decide to move to London?"

"Oh, we've traveled here and there for several cent-, erm…, sentimental reasons and Susan was becoming a bit restless and wanted to take a break from it all and put down some roots for awhile. I, of course, always have the girl's best interest at heart and readily agreed to the endeavor. My ship decided to land here for a bit of maintenance and Susan acquired such a fondness for the area and its people that we decided to stay."

Rose releases a soft laugh. "You speak of your ship as though she's alive."

Averting her gaze by glancing off to the side, the Doctor chuckles nervously and states, "Quite right my dear, as unpredictable and temperamental as my ship tends to be, it's easy to forget at times that she's definitely not human."

The Doctor pulls of a few bits of bread from his hot dog and tosses the crumbs out to the ducklings that are running around the front of the lake. "Rose, I must be honest with you, although I did want to see you again for the pleasure of your delightful company, I wanted to ask a favor of you as well."

Even though Rose hasn't known the Doctor for very long, she is sure of one thing, he is definitely not the type of man who asks for help easily. She is more than willing to help him if she can. "What do you need me to do?"

The Doctor's smile is grateful as he explains, "It's not exactly for me, but for my granddaughter, Susan. Because we've traveled all over since she was very young, I'm afraid that neither of us is very well versed in the modern trends and customs of this era." At Rose's quizzical stare, the Doctor hurriedly amends, "I mean this area, and I was hoping that when the time came for Susan to attend the dance that you could help her prepare."

"You mean help her with her hair and make-up?" clarifies Rose. The Doctor's hum of agreement while he takes another bite of his hot dog spurs Rose to consider the situation as she munches on her own. "Absolutely, in fact, bring her over to my place about two hours before she has to leave for the dance and my mum and I will take care of her. Mum used to be a hairdresser so she'll do her hair and I'll take care of her make-up."

The Doctor picks up Rose's free hand and gives it a grateful squeeze. "Thank you very, very much, Rose. I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that Susan will be well taken care of and feel at ease before her first important social gathering with her peers."

Rose laughs aloud and squeezes his hand in amusement. "Well, I hope it's a great deal more fun for Susan then you've made it sound!"

"Yes, yes, my dear, so do I," he concedes gleefully once he realizes the joke. Susan's always teasing him about his stuffiness and telling him that he needs to loosen up and let go. Twentieth century Earth slang aside, he has never been blind to the fact that he is an old, gruff, at sometimes bitter and often strict, curmudgeon. But is that truly any wonder when you think of the traditions and social mores of the planet they came from? However, they're on a new planet now, no longer out of time but dropped straight into the midst of it. Perhaps, like everything else around them, it's time for him to change, a change for the better for both himself and for Susan…and perhaps Rose could help him, yes…perhaps she could make him better.

"Rose Tyler, I have something else to ask you if I may?" requests the Doctor excitedly.

Rose offers him a wry glance before she flashes his favorite grin that she seems to display whenever she's teasing him. "I knew it. Are you out of British money? I noticed that several of your coins are currency from numerous countries. You really do live the life of a tourist, don't you?"

"Really?" murmurs the Doctor as he withdraws a handful of coins from his pocket and scrutinizes the various denominations and engravings. "I hadn't noticed." Dismissively, he shoves the change back into his pocket and focuses once more on Rose. "Actually, I was hoping that you would do me the honor of attending the dance with me at Susan's school."

Rose's action of lifting the hot dog to her mouth for another bite ceases mid-way as she stares at him in disbelief. "You're asking me out to a school dance for _teenagers_? Doctor, don't you think that we're a little old for that?"

This time it is the Doctor who gives her a wry look. "Rose Tyler, you have no idea. However, Susan has informed me that the school is short of chaperones this year and would be very grateful if anyone would be willing to volunteer."

_Oh, how romantic_, muses Rose.

"So, what do you say, Rose? Hmmm? Do you think that you would be able to tolerate being stuck with an old man for an entire evening?"

Rose's smile lights up her face as she bumps his shoulder with her own. "Stuck with you? That's not so bad." _Well, would you look at that! He flushes such an adorable shade of crimson._ "Alright, Doctor, I accept your invitation."

"Fantastic!" proclaims the Doctor unexpectedly and a little too loudly. They share equally startled gazes as the Doctor ponders, _Fantastic? Fantastic? I never say fantastic. Hmmm, it must be someone coming up. Oh, well, time will tell._

A week later, the night of the school dance has arrived and Susan is sat in front of the vanity in Rose's room while Jackie Tyler works on her hair. "Just you wait, Susan Foreman, a half hour from now and you'll have a hairdo that's out of this world!"

Susan's giggles are mistaken for excitement rather than amusement and she responds, "That will be wonderful, Mrs. Tyler, thank you so much for all of your help." She glances over gratefully at Rose and adds, "Both of you."

"You're more than welcome," answers Jackie for the both of them. "And none of this Mrs. and Miss Tyler nonsense, you call us Jackie and Rose, same as everybody else. Rose, why don't you start discussing what shades you'll want to use? That way you'll have everything ready as soon as I'm done here."

"Good idea," agrees Rose. She opens up her make-up case and removes the eye shadow and lipstick that she thought would go best with the dress that she had chosen back at Henrik's. Then Rose leans against the vanity as she assesses Susan's skin tones before pulling out the face powder and blush that she thought would complement the young girl's complexion.

Susan's eyes widen in terror at the face powder as she exclaims, "Oh, no, Rose, I couldn't wear that! Grandfather **never** lets me wear face powder!"

"Oh, I think that we could convince him for just this one night, Susan," soothes Rose while hiding her surprise that the Doctor is so strict on his regard for make-up that it would hold such fear at reprisal for the girl. "It is a special night after all."

"It's not that Rose," insists Susan as she leans away from the face powder. "Everyone in my family carries a gene for a severe allergy to aspirin and any aspirin-related products and face powder contains salicylic acid. If any of that were to touch my skin, the results would be disastrous!"

"My goodness," utters Rose with a gasp. "Well, it's a good thing that you told me then!" She casts a worried glance at the remainder of the make-up. "Is there anything else that you're allergic to?"

"No," reassures Susan confidently. "Everything else should be fine. I hope this doesn't spoil the results in any way."

"Don't you worry about a thing," remarks Jackie as she pats Susan shoulder with a withered hand. "Your complexion's lovely as it is and Rose will only need to add the barest touches of make-up to highlight that fact. Now, you just sit back and by the time we're done with you, you'll be just like Cinderella ready for the ball!"

Susan's wide grin is all the response that either woman needs prompting Rose to jest, "Well then we'd better hurry up, I have a feeling that the Doctor won't wait for us until midnight."

"Oh that wouldn't be any problem, Rose," declares Susan completely straight-faced, "even in that unlikely event, we could still make it to the dance on time."

Not realizing her slip of the tongue amidst her excitement and nerves, Susan doesn't notice Rose and Jackie exchanging glances of total befuddlement. Rose simply arches an eyebrow at her mother while Jackie merely shrugs as they both arrive at the same conclusion. _Kids today, who knows what they're talking about._

The Doctor, Rose and Susan arrive at the dance and they are barely through the door when Susan's friends come over and drag her away to discuss all the latest gossip and more importantly, boys.

Before the Doctor and Rose can search for someone to direct them in their duties, a man and woman bearing the friendliest of smiles approaches them and offers them their hands in greeting. "Good evening, I'm Ian Chesteron and this is my colleague, Barbara Wright," introduces Ian in a voice straining to be heard over the drummer on stage. "We're two of the teachers at this school."

"You both looked a bit lost and we thought we might be able to offer some assistance," pipes up Barbara over the noise of the music.

"Oh, yes, quite lost indeed," confesses the Doctor. "I'm Susan Foreman's grandfather, Dr. John Smith, and this is my lovely escort for the evening, Rose Tyler. Susan said that you were in dire need of chaperones in order for the dance to take place and here we are, my boy, to offer our services."

"That's very kind of you," states Ian, "but I'm afraid that you're too late. You see, apparently every teenager here spread word of our 'dire' need and ensured that various family members would be persuaded to answer the call."

"Yes, as you can see," gestures Barbara to the endless tables and gaily decorated gym walls behind her, "we have an over abundance of chaperones now. We've even had to turn some people away."

Seeing the elderly couple's downcast looks, Ian offers, "But we would love it if you would please stay all the same. In addition to an overabundance of chaperones, we also have plenty of refreshments so we would love to have you as our guests."

The Doctor turns to Rose with an inquiring gaze. "Well, what do you think, my dear? Shall we stay and give these young upstarts a run for their money?"

Rose laughs heartily before accepting the challenge. "I think I'm up to the task. I don't know about you though," she teases playfully as she bumps his arm.

The Doctor scoffs, "There hasn't been a celebration created yet that's been able to outlast me! Come along, Rose Tyler, we came to dance and we shall!" He takes her into his arms right before the schoolteachers' surprised and highly amused eyes and instructs, "You may want to move your feet, my dear, you'll find them at the end of your legs."

Ian and Barbara are left standing on their own when the Doctor suddenly whirls Rose off onto the dance floor. "What a shame that they didn't stay longer," comments Barbara laughingly. "I didn't even have the chance to tell him how much I enjoy having Susan in my class."

"Neither did I," notes Ian, "but now that we're alone again, may I have the honor of this dance?"

"Another one?" marvels Barbara with a faint blush. "Ian, all we've done is dance tonight. We're supposed to be setting an example for the students, remember?"

"I am setting an example," returns Ian smoothly as he takes Barbara into his arms. "I'm a science teacher, aren't I? I'm demonstrating what happens when you have the proper chemistry."

Barbara groans, "Ian that was terrible, much like your dancing. Have you ever thought about taking lessons?"

"I don't need to," he answers cheekily, "not when I have such an excellent teacher. Now quit rabbiting on and enjoy the music," he orders with an encouraging smile.

Barbara simply shakes her head in enjoyment of both her partner and his antics and carries on dancing.

Two hours later, the schoolteachers are sitting on the sidelines and gazing on in astonishment as the Doctor and Rose continue to weave in and out among the young couples while maintaining constant eye contact with one another.

"Unbelievable," declares Ian in exasperation. "They haven't sat down once. You know, the kids out there are just as impressed with their stamina; they've even dubbed them 'The Stuff of Legend'.

"It is amazing," opines Barbara as the couple twirls by them for what seems like the hundredth time. "Well, at least it clears up one thing for us; I don't think that we have to worry about Susan anymore. Whatever eccentricities that she exhibits in school obviously come from her grandfather. I don't think there's any need for us to speak to her family regarding her odd behavior."

"And you wanted to follow her home," teases Ian. "But you're right; I don't believe it's necessary either. Besides, Susan's a good girl and it's not as if her behavior is detrimental, it's merely…odd. Perhaps, that's what happens when you come from a long line of geniuses. At least that's what I gathered from the few conversations that I had with Dr. Smith when we were able to keep up with them long enough to carry on a conversation."

They watch as the crowd full of youngsters part and encircle the elderly couple to allow them full reign of the dance floor to perform a series of rather old-fashioned but charming and elegant moves that quite literally leave the older couple breathless.

"Doctor," begs Rose, "I need to take a break. My heart's beating so hard that it feels as though I have two!"

"I know the feeling well, my dear!" He glances over Rose's shoulder and spies Susan heading towards them; she's clapping as madly as everyone else in honor of their esteemed efforts. "Rose, why don't you sit down and rest at that empty table over there? Susan's on her way over and I'd like to have one dance with my granddaughter before one of these scallywags spirits her away again! Go on, now and take a well deserved intermission!"

Rose nods gratefully, still holding her hand over her fluttering heart, and turns to offer a brilliant smile and wave to Susan as she makes her way to the table.

"Oh, Grandfather," squeals Susan as she throws her arms around her neck and hugs him fiercely. "You and Rose were wonderful! I had no idea that you could dance like that!"

The Doctor clasps his hand in Susan's and places his other arm around her waist as the music changes to a softer and slower tempo. "I haven't shared all of my secrets with you, my dear girl! There's still some life left in this old body yet!"

"Of course there is!" insists Susan before adding teasingly, "I guess that I just haven't been around long enough to see it."

"Hmmmph!" grunts the Doctor before turning a smile onto his granddaughter. "Are you enjoying the dance, Susan? It seems as if you are."

"Yes, Grandfather, it's been absolutely wonderful!" She smiles brightly as she looks up at him. "I'm so glad that you came, you and Rose seem to be having fun as well."

"Yes," agrees the Doctor wholeheartedly as he gazes off into the distance. "I don't believe that I can recall a time when I've been this happy."

Susan instantly notices when her Grandfather substitutes the word happy for fun. "So are you going to do what we discussed earlier, Grandfather? Are you going to tell her the truth about who you really are?"

He nods seriously and shares, "Yes, Susan, and with your consent I'm going to tell Rose everything about us and where we come from." He sighs worriedly. "I only hope that she'll still want to be with me when she knows the truth."

"She will, Grandfather," encourages Susan as she stops dancing and hugs him tightly. "I just know it."

_I hope so_, frets the Doctor as he turns to find Rose chatting amicably away with Susan's schoolteachers. _I hope so._

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Between my daughter and I both being caught in a vicious timeloop of strep throat and flu (twice!) and a rekindling of love for an old fandom, this last chapter has been greatly delayed but I would like to think that it was worth the wait. I hope you enjoy it. :)

And I must admit that I have grown more attached to this pairing than I thought that I would and by the reading numbers on both sites, I think you have too. In saying that, I am pretty sure that I will be writing again for them as I have some ideas rumbling around in my mind. One of them foremost is having Barbara and Ian discover the TARDIS. What do you think?

Oh, and there's a little inside joke for any Archers fans. I love The Archers and eagerly await the Sunday omnibus. Thank goodness for the internet! :)

And a very Happy Birthday to my beautiful little girl!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in relation to Dr. Who or The Archers.

Weeks have passed and the Doctor continues to remain silent regarding his true origins. He knows that he needs to be honest with Rose about who he truly is and the life that he lives but he's still hesitant as he's afraid that it's the very elements of that life which might drive her away.

The Doctor and Rose are currently in the park near the lake sitting on what is now commonly referred to as 'their' bench dining on fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. Rose takes a few sips of her soda before inquiring, "So, what would you like to do today, Doctor?"

He smiles craftily as he rummages through his coat pocket and pulls out a piece of crumpled paper. "You know me so well, my dear! Now, I've been doing some research on the city's attractions and I've made up an itinerary. Why don't you take a look at it and tell me what you think."

She accepts the list and scans the names of the various tourist sites and a quick peek at him reveals the barest hint of a devious smile playing about his lips. She peers down again at the Doctor's scrawl with bright eyes that are moist from unshed tears when she reads the list again.

_Imperial War Museum_

_London Eye_

_O2 Arena_

_Victoria and Albert Museum_

_Eastbury Manor House_

_Yardley's Sweet Shoppe – 3 lb.s of gobstoppers for me, 1 pound lb. of jelly babies __for Susan_

_Orleans House Gallery_

_Underground_

Her outward calm and collected composure is only betrayed by the slight sniffle that she is unable to hide when she notices that the first letter of each word spells out 'I love you'. He has never once spoken the words but she knows how he feels about her. They simply couldn't have this type of instant connection, this feeling that the entire planet was hurtling around the sun and they were falling through space if he didn't love her as much as she has come to love him.

She glances down again at the itinerary and smirks. _He thinks he's so impressive._ She faces him and notes, "Well, it seems as though you've put a lot of thought into this."

The Doctor watches her closely as though studying a specimen so that he may evaluate her every reaction. He clasps both hands around the handle of his cane as if he's readying himself to push off and run at the slightest indication. "And what do you think?" he asks gruffly.

Rose stares back at him shrewdly and commends, "I can see the merit in your idea and I love it very much."

His rigid posture promptly sags in relief and his entire countenance softens as he gazes at her. "You're quite sure?" he questions expectantly seeking reassurance.

Rose leans over and kisses his cheek while placing her hand over the two of his own that are still clutching his cane in a death grip and whispers in his ear. Whatever she tells him obviously satisfies the Doctor as the remainder of his lunch is left untouched and he refuses to move his hands from underneath Rose's hold. His only verbal response to her declaration was a smug, "Quite right too!"

Once Rose has finished her lunch and the Doctor has wrapped up the remnants of his and stuffed them in his coat pocket, he turns to her with a serious expression, his tone very grave. "Rose, there's something that I need to tell you, something so important that it may very well change the way that you feel about me."

Glancing at the blue police box several yards away, Rose queries teasingly, "Is it that you're a bit old fashioned? Because I've seen you enter that phone box frequently over the past few weeks. Now I know that you're a bit on the…_frugal_ side but honestly, don't you think it's time to invest in a mobile?"

The Doctor ignores her banter and forges ahead. He gestures towards the TARDIS and proclaims, "That is no ordinary phone box, Rose Tyler, it is in fact a very basic component of who I truly am."

Rose's gaze travels to the phone box once more as she cheekily inquires, "And who's that then? Clark Kent?"

His brow furrows in consternation as he tries to deduce the significance of her reference. "I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that particular gentleman."

She releases an amused laugh until she realizes that he's serious. "You're kidding, right?" When there's no response from the Doctor other than silence, she adds, "Long tights, a cape and a big red S on his shirt?" The Doctor merely continues to stare at her in confusion. "Wow, Doctor, you _really_ need to get out more."

The Doctor huffs in frustration and he doesn't need to see timelines to know that he's getting nowhere fast. "Rose, that box over there is not a police phone box; it is however, my ship!"

"Your ship?" repeats Rose flatly.

"Yes," declares the Doctor with a tight squeeze to her hand. "That is the ship that Susan and I travel in when we cross the Vortex."

"The Vortex?" questions Rose with a mixture of worry and confusion. "Doctor, what are you on about?"

"The Time Vortex to be precise. It's the medium that travelers like myself and Susan use to transverse time and space, to go between now and tomorrow so to speak."

"I see," notes Rose as she shifts into a more comfortable position and tries to ascertain if the Doctor is joking or not. "And do you do this often?"

Mistaking her concern for interest, he proudly proclaims, "As often as we can, or as often as we used to until we decided to stay here for the time being."

She scrutinizes his every movement along with his tone and expression and comes to the overwhelming conclusion that he's completely serious. Her eyes widen in a combination of shock and pity as she gazes back at him. "You actually believe what you're saying; you honestly think that phone box is your ship!"

"Well of course I do!" insists the Doctor. He appears a bit uncomfortable as he confesses, "True, I don't exactly have any credentials of ownership in my possession but it most definitely is my ship."

Rose sits there pondering his words. _My poor deluded Doctor…and poor Susan! Does she even know how bad he is? Maybe if I ask him to take me there, he'll snap out of it when he sees my reaction. Oh, Doctor, we're so close now, I couldn't bear for any walls to come between us, especially if they're white ones made out of rubber and padding._

Releasing a sigh and taking a deep breath for courage, Rose stands up and requests, "Doctor, may I please see your ship?"

Eyes alight with excitement, he offers her his arm and cries, "Why Rose Tyler, I'd be delighted!"

He rapidly escorts her to the phone box and stops outside the front door while he withdraws his key. Before he inserts it, he announces, "Rose Tyler, welcome to the TARDIS," and then he unlocks the door and pushes it open for her to enter.

With a kind smile, Rose steps inside the ship and enters the console room. Her gaze instantly darts around the interior in a sudden blind panic and then she proceeds to practically knock the Doctor down to the ground as she barrels past him. He speedily gathers himself together and is about to give chase when he sees Rose coming back around the TARDIS.

She blankly stares at him before determinedly circling the TARDIS again and finishing her mission to arrive standing before him once more. "It's smaller on the outside!" she exclaims breathlessly.

He takes but a moment to register her observation before throwing his head back in delighted laughter. "Rose Tyler! Leave it to you to be the one who stands apart from all the rest!"

Choosing not to respond to him right away, she instead volleyballs her gaze back and forth between him and the TARDIS. "B-b-but how?" she sputters disbelievingly.

"Why don't we move our conversation inside, Rose, and I promise that I'll explain everything," he suggests kindly.

She nods silently, still dazed by her discovery, and allows the Doctor to usher her back inside the phone box. Once she's crossed the threshold, she slowly scans the console room and takes in every detail.

As she surveys the room, she notices a King George chair in the room. She's extremely grateful for that simple bit of home at the moment seeing as she feels that her legs might very well go out from under her at any second. Her gaze travels to the round bits that are sticking out from the walls and the hexagonal shaped table in the center of the room. No wait, on second glance she thinks that it might be some sort of electronic console since it has so many dials and switches. Perhaps it's Susan's stereo system, pretty elaborate that. Then she ends her visual tour as her eyes spy a clock sitting atop a pedestal. It's nothing special really, except for the comfort that it brings her. It's just another common household item onboard this astounding ship, yet reminding her that she's still safely on Earth…where she belongs. However, now that she's seen what she's seen, does she still believe that she belongs with this man?

The Doctor stares at her with a slightly worried expression and hesitantly inquires, "So, my dear, where do you want to start?"

She stares back at him in sheer wonder and replies, "Doctor, this isn't humanly possible."

His unyielding stance belies the tumultuous storm that is brewing inside him. "No, it's not."

Rose gasps and her eyes widen in realization. "Does that mean that you're not human?"

"Yes," he declares as he tries to hide a nervous swallow. "Is that alright?"

She walks away from him, further into the room while she looks all around her, and then turns to face him as she leans back against the console.

For all of his bluster and stiff upper lip dignity, alien or not, he is still a man. But not just any man, but the man that she has come to love so dearly with all of her heart in so short a time. A brief once over reveals his rigid frame, his white knuckled death grip on his cane and a tight lipped grimace.

Nevertheless, despite the discomfiture these signs bring to her, it is the anguish radiating from his gaze as he awaits her answer that settles the matter for her right then and there. _He's always seemed a little alien to me anyway_, she muses. _So what's a little more then?_

Eager to relieve his worry, she quickly makes her way back over to him without a moment's hesitation and lifts her hand to his cheek and tells him, "Of course it's alright, Doctor. I love you."

It takes but a moment for her response to register before he's pulling her tightly against him. "My precious Rose…," he allows himself a nervous gulp and then takes that final brave leap into the unknown. "I love you too."

They remain in the console room for quite some time, occasionally kissing, frequently cuddling, and every so often whispering words of endearment, but always in every moment, basking in their love. There was only one thing that could possibly draw them out of their own little world and thrust them back into the cold waiting arms of reality and Rose was the first one to bring it up.

"Doctor," she asks quietly as she rests her head on his shoulder and fingers his lapels, "how are we going to tell my mum?"

The Doctor makes a grimace of distaste that thankfully Rose is unable to see. _Domestic, bah! _He ponders the situation for awhile, quite studiously, and then arrives at the only solution that he can think of that makes any sense and will keep him well below Jackie Tyler's radar. "Rose, my love, does it really need saying?"

Lifting her head to stare at him in utter disbelief, she hauls her hand back and smacks his arm.

And that was the beginning of their first fight.

Fortunately, Rose forgave the Doctor rather quickly, especially after a few whispered sweet nothings and vows that his jest had been in poor taste and that Jackie Tyler was, in his humble opinion, the epitome of love, courage and nurturing that mothers everywhere should aspire to attain.

_Oh well,_ he reflected, _a few blackened, or shall I say, charred truths never hurt anyone._

However, to his great surprise and a grudging nod to Jackie's character, she actually took the news quite well. "I always knew that there was something off about him, Rose, I just didn't know it was off-world," she groused before settling herself on the TARDIS sofa to watch Eastenders.

And then the big day came, their first trip in the TARDIS since he and Susan had decided to stay. The two time travelers made quite a fuss over their guests as they instructed them on what to do for their first maiden voyage through time, albeit only twelve minutes ahead into the future. Too bad there was a slight miscalculation.

"**You** **idiot!"** rages Jackie in her pink velour tracksuit as she storms out of the TARDIS, banging her cane onto the pavement with each step.

"Mum, please!" begs Rose. "I'm sure it was just an honest mistake!"

Jackie whirls around in a fury and bellows, "Mistake? The only mistake made was taking him on as your bloke, Rose Tyler!" She stalks over to the Doctor and pokes him in the chest with her cane. "You _swore_ to me that we would only be gone for twelve minutes," she waves her hand around to indicate the morning light, "and we've been gone for twelve hours!"

She whacks his arm with her cane. "You made me miss bingo!" She attacks him again. "And The Archers! Now I'll have to wait for the omnibus to find out if Alice takes that job in Canada!"

When she goes in for a third strike, he hurriedly brings his own cane up to block her blow. Susan yells, "Grandfather, no!"

The Doctor ignores his granddaughter's fearful warning and defends himself both physically and verbally. "She accosted me first!"

When their clashing of canes becomes more heated and aggressive and much too reminiscent of a sword fight, Rose shouts, "Mum, stop it! Doctor, please don't hurt her!"

"What are you on about, Rose?" barks the Doctor as he dodges another blow. "I'm merely defending myself!" A few more expert thrusts and parries have Jackie's eyes gleaming in satisfaction as the Doctor cries out, "My word! Who taught you how to fight, woman? Errol Flynn?"

As the Doctor and Jackie move their battle towards the center of the street, Jackie snarls, "This will teach you to lead my daughter on, you Cassanova! For weeks you've been taking my little girl out every night with no promise or even hint of a future!"

With a cry of outrage, the Doctor channels all of his anger into one final blow that knocks Jackie's cane out of her hand and nearly sends it flying down to the courtyard. "How dare you?" he growls fiercely. "How dare you not only insult me but impugn your daughter's honor in the process!"

"Do you honestly think that Rose would ever settle for less than she deserves? And I may not deserve her, but I intend to do my very best for the rest of my lives rectifying that, _in the state of holy matrimony,_ mind you!" He steps away from Jackie's glower and the gobsmacked pair of Rose and Susan and begins pacing back and forth while muttering to no one in particular. "And to think…to think that I was going to offer that…that miserable old harridan her own room on the TARDIS just so that Rose wouldn't have to worry about her!"

"Hmmph!" grumps Jackie disbelievingly. "So when was this grand proposal supposed to take place then?"

He turns to her in exasperation and huffs, "When the time was right, woman! I want to wine her and dine her and fill her night with romance with a trip to the stars!" he proclaims as he lifts his hand to the sky. "Are you completely devoid of any inkling of romance and imagination in your soul?"

Jackie's ire simmers down to mere irritation at his declaration while the Doctor tugs on his lapels in an effort to restore not only his suit but his dignity. The effort to restore his suit went well but only so much could be done with his temper as he is overheard when he softly grumbles, "Were it thought that you had any soul."

Jackie's eyes catch fire as she advances on him. "I heard that you little -"

Her words are cut off as she's unexpectedly engulfed in a crushing hug from Rose while the Doctor is simultaneously being smothered by Susan. "Oh, Mum, can you believe it?" crows Rose. "I've never been so happy!"

Susan pulls away from the Doctor just long enough to pepper his cheeks with kisses before wrapping her arms back around him. "Oh, Grandfather! This is such wonderful news! I can't tell you how happy I am for the two of you!"

The Doctor and Jackie take turns staring at each other, completely flummoxed by their situation. "What's wrong with them?" questions Jackie suspiciously.

"I have no idea," he replies anxiously as he cringes when both Susan and Rose begin crying tears of joy and he has to suddenly activate his extra respiratory bypass when Susan clutches him in a stranglehold that would make a boa constrictor proud.

Staring silently at all three women with a befuddled look, he wonders what in Rassilon's name could have caused this predicament. _I have absolutely no clue what just happened here, none at all. What could possibly be wrong with them? Hmmm. This must be how human males feel all the time. Quite disconcerting, really._

Later that day, the Doctor and Rose are now comfortably ensconced on 'their' bench enjoying freshly baked pretzels while watching a group of children push their toy boats into the water for a sailboat race.

Rose turns towards the Doctor with her tongue poking out between her teeth and casually mentions, "So…I really liked the way that you proposed to my mum."

The Doctor fixes her with a quelling glare before turning away to sulk. "It wasn't supposed to be like that, I had everything planned out to the minutest detail."

"I know," soothes Rose when she realizes that he's taken her teasing to heart. She raises her hand to his chin and gently turns him back to face her. "Don't you know by now that just being with you is all the romance that I need?" Her smile is no longer teasing but instead loving as she murmurs, "I don't need trips to the stars, Doctor, I only need the man who can take me to them."

The brightness of his smile could rival the sun as he grasps the hand that's still holding his chin and places a light kiss in the center of her palm before interlacing their fingers together. "Rose Tyler, what do I need with the wonders of the universe when I have you?"

She grins widely before she snuggles into his side and he kisses the top of her head. They continue to watch the boat races in companionable silence that's only broken when the Doctor remarks, "Rose, I was wondering what type of wedding that you were planning in terms of size. Are you thinking of having a large or private ceremony?"

"I haven't really thought about it, Doctor, what with the proposal being so sudden and all," she answers laughingly.

"But you did know that we were heading in that direction, didn't you?" he asks anxiously. "I did try my best to make my intentions clear to you."

"Well," she admits sheepishly, "I had hoped that we were moving that way but I didn't want to seem presumptuous."

The Doctor squeezes her hand reassuringly and promises, "There was never a need to worry about that my dear, not even the slightest iota."

She lifts her head off of his shoulder and inquires, "What about you, Doctor? Do you have any preferences for our wedding?"

The Doctor bears a bit of a grimace before he replies, "Well to be quite honest, I was hoping for a small ceremony. You see, it's not that I don't want a large wedding; in fact anyone who was willing to celebrate in our joy would be welcome. Unfortunately, neither Susan nor I have any family or friends besides each other and I'm afraid that glaring fact might draw unwanted attention that we have avoided so successfully thus far."

Relief floods Rose that he wasn't secretly having second thoughts and she immediately assures him. "The wedding frills don't matter to me, Doctor, what's important is the marriage." She settles back into his side and declares, "We'll simply have a nice quiet wedding ceremony."

"Oh," he states in a surprised tone, "so then your mother won't be attending?"

Rose doesn't even bother to lift her head as she smacks him and admonishes, "Rude, Doctor!" Then with a giggle, "You think you're so clever."

"Cleverer than most," is his speedy reply, "that's how I ended up with you, of course."

"Will you be laying it on any thicker?" she retorts. "If so, then I'll need to go home and fetch my wellies."

They share a laugh before the Doctor advises, "You might need them anyway, I plan on taking you on a more thorough tour of the TARDIS and some of the rooms need a bit of tidying up." He seems to drift off into himself as he mutters, "Although I suppose if you do end up needing some that we can always check the wardrobe or the boot cupboard for your size. I'm never quite sure where things are these days…"

The Doctor sobers instantly at Rose's quizzical glance and studies her intently as he begins to broach an unusually sensitive subject. "Rose, with the exception of Susan and barring my people, you know more about me and my ship than anyone else in the universe. Do you remember my telling you that I was bonded to the TARDIS and that she was bonded to my lifespan?"

At her silent nod, he continues, "Well, not only is the TARDIS alive but she also has a heart. It's a heart that she has shared with me and she has now, very kindly and quite generously," he reaches out to brush a loose tendril of hair away from her face, "and most lovingly offered to share with you."

Her expression reflects her confusion until he takes her hand and explains, "The TARDIS has offered to share her life-force with you, Rose, and in doing so, tie our lifespans together so that we would never be without the other. You would regenerate when I do or when you need to, but without the pain and from what I understand from the TARDIS, our next selves will be much younger. Apparently the old girl wants to keep us around for as long as she can."

He chuckles a bit and then returns to a more grave tone as he takes her silence for worry. "Now you wouldn't need to fear about losing any of yourself, Rose, you would still and always be completely human. And in being so, your appearance would never deviate from how you look now except to appear younger. Think of it, Rose Tyler! We could live and travel for decades or for as long as time will allow us for the rest of our lives!"

He takes both of her hands in his and holds one over each of his hearts while he vows, "Either way, Rose, I will love you forever. I just wanted you to know that this option was available to you because I always want you to have a choice."

Rose stares hard at him, her gaze filled with the intense love that she feels for this man before her. "I already made my choice, Doctor, not so long ago. I'm going to stay with you forever."

For a moment, neither one of them can do more than hold the other's gaze until the Doctor lifts each of Rose's hands up to his lips and brushes the gentlest of kisses across the knuckles of each hand before whispering, "Thank you."

They lean in close to each other to partake in the sweetest of kisses and unfortunately for them, also the briefest, as the children that they had been watching earlier start yelling, "Ewww! Gross!" in their direction.

At once, the Doctor stands in a rush of anger and starts searching his coat pockets. Rose asks, "What are you looking for?"

"I was looking for a particular instrument that I've been working on so that I could teach those young hooligans a lesson!" seethes the Doctor. When his pockets once again turn up empty, he faces Rose with a determined countenance. "Well never mind, but you be and sure to remind me to hurry up and finish that sonic screwdriver!"

He turns away again with a sigh. "Honestly though, at the rate it's taking me it won't even be ready until my next regeneration." He looks back to Rose and holds out his hand to help her up from the bench. "Shall we take that tour of the TARDIS now?"

She clasps his hand and rises gracefully and practically glowing with excitement. "Yes, let's go! But if it's alright with you, I would like to see the library first, you know how much I love to read!"

He pats her hand affectionately and assures, "Of course, my dear, your wish is my command." As they stroll over to the blue box parked near the lake amongst some trees, the Doctor notes, "We'll simply need to make a quick stop by the linen closet first for some towels."

Rose's brow crinkles in consternation as he she quizzes, "What on Earth for?"

The Doctor's tone is nonchalant as he replies, "To dry off the books, they tend to become a bit damp." He opens the TARDIS and explains as she enters, "You see, the library is in the swimming pool."

**THE END**


End file.
